Obama again touts end to Iraq war

The patriotism and dedication of U.S. troops leaving Iraq should inspire all Americans to pull together to tackle economic problems and political partisanship at home, President Barack Obama argued in a weekly address Saturday that struck familiar themes.

“On Thursday, the colors our Armed Forces fought under in Iraq were formally cased in a ceremony in Baghdad before beginning their journey back home. Our troops are now preparing to make their final march across the border and out of the country. Iraq’s future will be in the hands of its own people. Our war there will be over. All of our troops will be out of Iraq,” Obama said in a recorded statement distributed via, TV radio and the Internet.

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At a time when Obama is struggling in opinion polls, particularly those that assess his handling of the economy, his address provided more evidence that he’s trying not only to highlight the politically-popular exit from Iraq, but to transfer some of that goodwill to breaking the gridlock on the domestic political scene.

Obama called the Iraq withdrawal “an extraordinary achievement – one made possible by the hard work and sacrifice of the men and women who had the courage to serve.”

“There’s a lesson to learn from that – a lesson about our character as a nation. See, there’s a reason our military is the most respected institution in America. They don’t see themselves or each other as Democrats first or Republicans first. They see themselves as Americans first,” Obama said. “For all our differences and disagreements, they remind us that we are all a part of something bigger; that we are one nation and one people.”

“This cannot be a country where division and discord stand in the way of our progress,” Obama declared. “This is a moment where we must come together to ensure that every American has the chance to work for a decent living, own their own home, send their kids to college, and secure a decent retirement. This is a moment for us to build a country that lives up to the ideals that so many of our bravest Americans have fought and even died for. That is our highest obligation as citizens.”

The address was long on aphorisms, like “there is nothing we can’t do when we stick together,” and short on specifics about how to use such sentiments to overcome disagreements on policy issues like taxes or cuts in defense spending.

Obama has tried repeatedly in recent months to draw attention to the end to the nearly nine-year-long war, which fulfills one of his key campaign pledges but also comes on a timeline agreed to by President George W. Bush in 2008. The impending exit from Iraq was also a major subject of Obama’s weekly address less than two months ago, on Oct. 22. He visited the White House press briefing room to discuss it earlier that week.

This past Monday, the subject was on the front burner again as Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki visited the White House. And on Wednesday, President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama traveled to Fort Bragg, N.C. to greet soldiers returning from Iraq just in time for the holidays.

While Obama on Saturday touted the removal of “all of our troops” from Iraq, he did not mention that until just a couple of months ago his administration was pressing the Iraqis to allow thousands of American troops to remain on Iraqi soil. The proposed agreement fell apart over the U.S. demand that American troops be immune from prosecution in Iraqi courts. The Pentagon insisted on such immunity, but the Iraqis, wary of past killings of civilians by U.S. soldiers and civilian security contractors, declined to provide it.